PRACTICE TIP OF THE MONTH: BUILDING THE BOND

Jeff Rothstein, DVM, MBA

“Stuck inside these four walls, sent inside forever, never seeing no one”. Recognize the lyrics? (Band on the Run by Paul McCartney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU9t_IbyjpY ). Not to be negative, but I associate these words with the traditional stand-alone veterinary hospital. Certainly not all, but many become very isolated from the profession and become their own little island. Instead of looking at each other as allies, they see each other as competitors. They are not sharing best practices with other professionals and are often living off best practices from 10-20 years ago. It’s easy to get stuck in our old ways. What’s wonderful about a group like MVP is that we have started to tear down the walls and barriers and are starting to work as one big team.

When we work together and come together as a team, we accomplish so much more. This really hit home several weeks ago when I was strolling down the streets of Traverse City while attending the Great Lakes Veterinary Conference (GLVC) and I heard “Dr. Jeff, Dr. Jeff” shouted out. I turned around to see a group of MVP managers happily eating lunch at a TC venue. They weren’t attending the conference but were instead on a kayaking pub crawl!

What was exciting to me was the bonding going on. I can say that in the past, the PM from Healthy Pet Veterinary Hospital would not be hanging out with the PM from Roadside Veterinary Clinic. These hospitals that are merely 5 miles from each other didn’t exactly have the kindest things to say about each other from what I recall. The fact is they did not know each other! Seeing them together now as if they were old friends was heartwarming. Kudos to their RMOD (Dr. Ian Wright) and ROM (Christe Exline) for pushing their regional managers to do this type of team-building outing.

All around us, we are tearing down walls, debunking old myths about “other” practices, and starting to celebrate our diversity. We spend a great deal of time focusing on the human-animal bond, which is sacred for sure. But the bond we build with each other – let’s call it the MVP bond – is priceless as well. The culture we create at each clinic and within each region of MVP is significant, and it is up to all of us to create that positive, supportive, and unique environment. It’s awesome to see it sprouting within the hospitals, within our various regions, and at the home office. On that note, I’m off to a Detroit Tigers game with the MVP home office crew! Are we having fun yet? Make Karlene’s day and say, yes! And say yes to the fact that culture matters!